A Poker Game Between Friends
by Pen E Forthotz
Summary: AU A few years after Penny's death, a poker game occurs between a con man, a hero-turned writer, and a villain-turned business man. Crossover between Dr Horrible, Castle, How I Met Your Mother, and White Collar. Possible multi-chapter fic


I do not own Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, White Collar, Castle, nor How I Met Your Mother. I can't believe that I actually was able to tie these all together!

XXXX

The cards are dealt with a deft flick of the conman's wrist. A smirk played upon his face as he realized that this was the first game in a long time that he was not going to cheat. The air between the two across from him was electrified by tangible tension. The remnants of a bitter rivalry remained long after the pair formed a friendship over a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Neal Caffrey smiled at the writer and the…businessman that sat across from him and watched as the two picked up their cards. Neal glanced at his and was happily rewarded with another set of pocket aces, the club and the diamond. The sudden realization that his tablemates would not believe that another high pair came into his hands without any possible interference made him cringe, especially since this was a considerably high stakes game.

The blond and well-dressed man to his left bid a hefty chunk of his pile, glaring defiantly at the smirking novelist to his left.

The wealthy writer returned the glare in turn, matched the sum, and taunted, "Careful, Doc! You don't want to give up all of your savings to me."

The blond twitched then responded, "Oh please, like you need anymore money Writer-boy. If I had thought you were going to become a pet of the state, I would have bought you a leash for Christmas, oh wait you already were that back in LA!"

After he said it, he winced and glanced at the conman, "No offense Neal."

"None taken."

The writer growled back a retort, "Oh, really? Well you seem to have replaced me as the Corporate Tool as of late."

Neil looked at his overflowing pile of chips and pushed in his bet, realizing this was going to continue for a while. He pushed out his chair and quipped, "I will give you two some alone time…"

"Sit back down Neal. I still have my Freeze Ray, and this time it keeps the person frozen!"

Neal shrugged and sat back down.

The writer looks at his rival with an expression of curiosity mixed with annoyance and asks, "Why do you still have that thing? You haven't been Dr. Horrible, heck, you haven't been _Billy _since—"

The blond went into a fit of coughing and quickly flipped a small phone-like object open. The gadget let off a short high pitched sound and a red light blinked four times before going to green. The blond stopped his coughing immediately and gave a pointed glance at both of the people he was playing poker with.

He drawled, "Now Castle, no giving away our little secret to the FBI or your hot detective, whaddup by the way, " he raised a fist to bump, which was returned out of muscle memory.

Richard Castle let out a single shocked chuckle, and the blond continued, " I would rather not be put into witness protection _again _especially because my current disguise is awesome. Now Neal, I believe that we have a round of cards to finish up."

Neal shook his head in amazement, "You knew my recorder was there the entire time didn't you, Barney?" He turned over the flop

Barney Stinson gave a winning smile, "What can I say? I know you both too well. So how is Peter by the way? And why did he feel the need to listen in on our poker game?"

The ex-con turned FBI consultant smirked, "I think he is still a little bit suspicious of you ever since you tried to make a quick buck by blasting a very expensive George Stubbs painting with a dubious piece of machinery."

Barney choked in indignation, "That Forgea-Ray was genius, and besides, you had already stolen it! I was still stuck in the ELE and Bad Horse wanted the damn thing. The ray worked too…a bit too well."

Castle chuckled, "I was wondering why you threw out forty copies of that painting. As for my recorder, Beckett wanted to come to the poker game. I told her I was playing with two very dangerous criminals and naturally she wanted me bugged. Honestly, I just know that all of us in the same room is a bit overwhelming for the female population. She will probably bust in shortly."

Neal nodded thoughtfully, "Yeah, Peter will probably be in too."

Barney grinned, "More for the poker game! No, seriously guys, you thought I would cut out the sound completely? Its programmed to have you guys asking me if I'm okay then continue playing a randomized game of poker until I turn it off. My tech skills are still as legendary as before."

Castle gave a shake of his head, "Not going to work. I will put two hundred dollars that my partner comes in about ten minutes."

Neal smirked, "I will bet three hundred dollars Peter comes in five."

Barney had a wider grin, "I will take both bets and add a Slap bet and five hundred dollars. Neal you commission mine and Castle's, Castle you have mine and Neal's. If I lose I get double the slaps and have to pay you both a thousand."

Castle's eyes widened. "Oh, hell no! You still have four slaps on me since the glog incident!"

Neal grinned and said, "I will take that bet!... What is the glog incident?"

Barney leaned forward conspiratorially, "Oh that's a great story. Captain Hammer here was— "

"Hey! You promised never to speak of that again!" Castle shouted over Barney, "Now lets get this round finished so that our federal friends cant confiscate it."

The game ended with Neal having a pair of aces, Castle having pair of eights ("You bet high on those cards?"), and Barney won with four of a kind of kings.

Barney looked at the clock and smiled, "Pay up guys! Ten minutes have passed and still no cops."

Castle and Neal exchanged glances then passed over the money. Neal swallowed thickly and said, "So, and I probably should have asked this before, what is a slap bet?"

"You pick five anytime or ten now." Castle said with emphasis on the ten and five.

Neal blinked, "Then ten now. Why would I want that kind of suspense?"

Castle moaned at the injustice and Barney began cracking his knuckles. The ex supervillain let out his well practiced evil laugh and approached the cringing conman.

XXXXX (ten minutes ago)XXXXXX

Peter Burke winced and pulled the headphones away from his ears as the man he knew as Dr. Horrible let out a flurry of coughing. It had been a slow day at the office, but Neal had let slip that he was having a few friends over for a poker game. Peter knew that that meant trouble and wouldn't let Neal leave until he let Peter into the game or wore a microphone. The hurt act didn't fool Peter once.

Once the coughing stopped, he put the headphones back on and heard a familiar voice.

"Hello there detectives, this is Barney Stinson. Seeing as Neal, Castle and I are in the middle of a poker game, I assume that you are awaiting the first sign of trouble to jump in and rescue." Peter almost made a lunge for the door of the car but stopped as the voice continued.

"I have been meaning to meet you two," Peter's brow furrowed, "for a while, but for some reason our mutual friends have little trust in me. As payback for keeping my identity a secret for a while, after I have done so much for them, I am requesting your assistance. Please don't enter the room until fifteen minutes pass. I have a feeling that our friends are betting against you and I would like to deal a bit of vengeance. See you soon!"

The recording clicked off and Peter grabbed his vest and gun and ran out of the car, only to see a woman with brown hair doing something similar across the road. Peter shouted, "Are you the other one?"

Kate Beckett ran up after putting her other arm through her vest and showed him her badge. "Beckett, NYPD. You are…?"

Peter responded in kind, flipping his badge open too. "Burke, FBI. Who are you rescuing?"

"My idiot partner who decided to play poker with a dangerous criminal and one conman who escaped jail. You?"

"My idiot partner, ex-conman, who decided to play poker with your idiot partner and a dangerous criminal."

"Ah. After you?"

The pair entered the old fashioned building and up to Neal's room, then stayed behind the door. Kate and Peter shared a glance and then Peter kicked open the door.

This revealed one embarrassed ex-convict with a red hand print indented on his face getting off of the floor, a writer laughing uproariously and almost falling out of his chair, and one smug blond guy in a suit standing with his arms folded and a pocket size ray gun in one of his hands.

All three looked up in surprise when the two cops entered the room.

Barney smirked and quipped, "Right on time. And I am not a dangerous criminal thank you very much."

XXXXXX

Like, don't like? If anyone else has watched all of these shows I will be amazed.

Possibly TBC to fill in plot holes, if anyone reads it. Read and Review to get another chapter.


End file.
